Okay, so this is late, late late. Like, a day late. I spent the entirety of yesterday and a couple of today’s very early hours, and I’m hoping the quality of this page makes up for how I felt about the last page. I’m really happy with this one, for sure.
Anyhow, in the rest of this chapter, some questions will be answered! Hooray!
Lastly, please enjoy this awesome bit of worldbuilding notes from Cory on Fiah Theology:
A variety of religious and philosophical beliefs can be found upon Haalha. Given the global cultural bent towards gregarious interdependence combined with the individual pursuit of personal betterment, it is relatively common for a citizen to study many different belief systems, perhaps even adopting one developed by another culture or species. The planetary government does its best to encourage this trend, on the grounds that greater diversity enriches Haalha’s culture; at the same time, some pragmatic commentators insist (or complain) that the government is also hoping to prevent the formation of powerful, religiously-motivated voting blocs capable of altering the status quo and exerting strong influence on the democratic process.Statistically speaking, the three most dominant religions in Haalhan society are – named in their languages of origin (with rough translations) – Aea Hyoa (“All-Hymn”), Srrukvar (“Understanding Of Srruk”), and Grabaku Mulk (“Impossible Duty”).Aea Hyoa is a loosely pantheistic faith native to Haalha; it formed in ancient times as the nomadic Fiah tribes traded, allied, and slowly merged together, gradually interweaving their oral histories and mythologies to form a single religion incorporating elements from each. It takes the form of a collection of chanted or sung parables called Hyoa, mostly revolving around “Clever Old Yan” (creator of Aea, all that exists) and his well-intentioned but careless children, Yee and Ahyaal. Each Hyoa is meant to impart wisdom to the listener; some contain straightforward life lessons, while others are intentionally subtle so as to encourage peaceful contemplation. Aea Hyoa is quite common amongst Fiah citizens, and nearly as popular amongst Vaa Srruk.Srrukvar is just one of many faiths brought to Haalha by the Vaa Srruk during the First Exodus, but it is easily the most widespread. It is characterized by a blend of cosmic mysticism, ancestor worship, and powerful family loyalty – where “family” is interpreted to include adopted family members such as friends and fellow citizens, and “ancestor” can refer to one’s cultural forebears as well as one’s genetic ancestors. At the centre of it all lies Srruk: the concept that all beings, as interconnected parts of a single vast, living, breathing universe, are fundamentally the same. Srrukvar is most common amongst Vaa Srruk, but its philosophy of total inclusiveness and collective self-empowerment has won over many adherents from other species as well.
Grabaku Mulk is a philosophical school of thought originating on Lruchhuch, the Hlurcht homeworld. It teaches its students to define themselves through struggle, while simultaneously recognizing that many challenges are simply impossible to overcome – and that those are the most important challenges to face. Followers of Grabaku Mulk do their best to abandon self-deception and view existence with frank humility; indeed, they argue that life itself is an impossible struggle, for no one can defeat his own mortality. By accepting defeat as a normal part of existence, they cease to fear it, and are able to strive for greatness unhindered by weakness or doubt. Though Grabaku Mulk originated with the Hlurcht, it is slowly becoming more and more commonplace throughout the galactic community.